A very happy and slightly exhausted-looking Keiji Inafune has taken to YouTube to thank everyone who has helped his Mega Man-influenced Kickstarter project, Mighty No. 9, reach its initial funding goal in blinding speed.

An update from the development team was also posted to the project’s Kickstarter page, expressing gratitude and appreciation not only to backers, but all past supporters of the game lineage that has brought them to this point:

One of the things we’re most proud of is the overwhelmingly positive vibe we all share in this mission. There are no losers in our success here, and no bad guys to rail against. We all know that none of the amazing stories and fond memories you've all been sharing would've ever been possible without the games that came before us, the developers who created them, and the companies who promoted and sold and spread them throughout the world. Yes, we are aiming to revive and reinvent this genre, but we do so with the deepest humility and all due respect to those who came before us, or in many cases worked alongside us — our ex-coworkers and ex-employers, for example; whatever success we achieve here is ultimately a validation of their efforts.

Meanwhile, the money keeps rolling in on Kickstarter. Mighty No. 9 has raised nearly $1.4 million at the time of this posting. It is cleanly past the halfway point to the $2.5 million stretch goal that would see it appear on the Wii U and other consoles, with 28 days left to see it through.

Do you believe Mighty No. 9 will have enough steam to power past $2.5 million? Check out the video from Inafune below and let us know what you think to the potential Wii U eShop title in the comment section.

As a child, Tim once spent an entire month staring longingly at a copy of Kirby's Dream Land his parents had kept atop the refrigerator until he could play it on an upcoming road trip. That month would change his life forever. TLatshaw